Al-Muddaththir (The Cloaked One)

56. And no one may receive admonition unless Allah wills. And He is the One, deserving that mankind should stand in awe of Him, and He is the One Who forgives [sins].

The closing blessed Verse of the Chapter says that receiving admonitions from the Qur’an is totally dependent upon Divine Will and Blessing. In other words, the disobedient may not receive admonitions unless God Almighty wills.

Besides the aforementioned exegesis, namely man may not proceed on the Path of Guidance unless he puts his trust in Divine Blessing and invokes Him to bestow His Blessings on him, other exegeses may be suggested for the blessed Verse. Unless there be not any attraction on behalf of the beloved, the unfortunate lover’s efforts shall be of no avail (two lines of poetry).

It is worthy of note that Divine Aid is bestowed upon those who have prepared the required ground for such bestowal of Blessings.

Further, the blessed Verse 55,

“So whoever desires may receive admonitions!”

may create the wrong impression in some people that everything is totally dependent upon human will.

The blessed Verse 56 removes such wrong interpretation by saying that notwithstanding man’s free choice, his will is dependent upon Divine Will, prevailing in the world of existence and creation. In other words, human free choice is dependent upon Divine Will and God Almighty may deprive him of his free choice at any time.

The blessed Verse in question is saying that they never believe unless God Almighty wills to make them believe and we know that God Almighty never makes anyone believe or disbelieve. Thus, the first two exegeses sound more befitting herein.

The blessed Verse closes by saying that

“He deserves that mankind should stand in awe of Him, and He is the One Who forgives sins.”

It is befitting that Allah’s servants fear His torments, associate any partners in worshipping Him, and set their hopes on His Forgiveness. The blessed Verse alludes to the states of fear, hope, Divine torment, and Divine Forgiveness, providing further support for the preceding blessed Verse.

Concerning the exegesis of the blessed Verse in question, it is narrated from the Noble Imam Sadiq (as) as saying:

“Allah says that He is Worthy of being feared such that My servant does not associate any partner with Me in worship and if My servant refrains from associating any partner with me in worship, I shall make him enter Paradise.”1

Within the knowledge of the present author, all Qur’an exegetes hold that the nominal form taqwa;

(“fear [of God Almighty]”)

is herein employed in the accusative case, saying that God Almighty deserves that His servants refrain from polytheism.

However, it may be taken in the nominative case, implying that He neither does wrong nor act unwisely. The most exalted of the degrees of taqwa belongs to God Almighty and that of servants is nothing but a feeble flame of His Infinite taqwa, though the word in nominative case rarely refers to God Almighty.

The blessed Chapter opened with an Injunction as to warning and obligation and it closes with calling the believers to fear of God Almighty and the Promise of Forgiveness.

Thus, we invoke at His Threshold with utmost humbleness:

“O Lord! Make us of those who fear You and bestow Your Forgiveness upon us! O Lord! We may not succeed unless You grant us Your Favors and Blessings. Bestow Your Blessings upon us!”